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First-year UConn
head coach Jason Candle finally has settled on a starting quarterback for Week
1.

He’s chosen to
go with a familiar face, tabbing Kalieb Osborne as the starter for
the Saturday home game against FCS program Lafayette, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported
Friday night. Osborne started one game for Candle at Toledo last season.

Osborne, a
Michigan native, is a 6-foot-4, 218-pound junior with three years of eligibility remaining. A three-star prospect coming
out of high school, Osborne didn’t play in his first season with the Rockets in
2024 but last year, appeared in seven games. He completed 32 of his 52 pass attempts
for 427 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

BREAKING: UConn has named Toledo transfer QB Kalieb Osborne as their starter for Week 1 vs. Lafayette, per @PeteThamel

Osborne finished last season 32 of 52 passing for 427 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Rockets in 2025. pic.twitter.com/PW6FdQ2DOC

— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) September 4, 2026

Osborne added
282 rushing yards – averaging 5.5 yards per carry – and scored two TDs.

What took so
long?

Candle apparently
never intended to fast-track the decision, and he and his staff took their time
weighing the three top candidates: Osborne, Tennessee transfer Jake Merklinger
and Tucker McDonald, who backed up Joe Fagnano last season.

The competition
went on throughout camp, with Candle saying on
Aug. 10 that he wasn't concerned about the quarterback position and he’d let it
play out. In his comments to the media on Monday, he indicated that none of the
three quarterbacks had eliminated themselves from the conversation. Regardless, Candle said the team was close to a decision.

And on Friday,
less than 18 hours before a Saturday noon ET kickoff, UConn fans finally had an
answer about the QB1 for Game 1.

More on
Osborne

Osborne played
largely in a reserve role at Toledo last season, but he started the Boca Raton
Bowl last Dec. 23, giving him not only a college start but experience against a
Power Four team.

He played well
in the 27-22 loss to Louisville: 17-of-28 passing for 167 yards and a
touchdown. He did not throw an interception. He also led the Rockets in
rushing, gaining 77 yards on 18 carries.

He is the only
one of the three quarterbacks to have started a college game – something that could
give him a dose of confidence against Lafayette on Saturday.

How to watch
UConn vs. Lafayette

The game will
not be televised nationally. WFSB-3, WWAX and UConn+ all will air the contest,
with kickoff set for 12:02 p.m. at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler
Field in East Hartford. Fox Sports radio 97.9 will carry the game, which also
will be on SiriusXM 263 and on the Sirius App 972.

The team of
Randy Brochu, analyst Marc Robbins and sideline reporter Dan Booth will have
the television call.

Radio listeners
will hear Mike Crispino, analyst Wayne Norman and sideline reporter Adam
Giardino.

1 more day to go! Here’s the timeline for tomorrow! Can’t wait to see all of UConn Nation at the Rent!

🎟️ If you haven’t yet, secure your ticktets to our home opener at https://t.co/lM911ZEBBnpic.twitter.com/upYtYpbhsK

— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) September 4, 2026

The Huskies
finished last season with a 9-4 record under former head coach Jim Mora.
Lafayette was 8-4 under John Troxell, who is entering his fifth season.

The two teams
have met once. The Leopards defeated the Huskies 20-13 on Oct. 13, 1984, in
Easton, Pa.

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